A New Beginning
by blondierosalie21
Summary: Jimena, four years after the final eclipse, contemplates her own fate as well as that of Serena's. Jimena and Collin visit Serena and Stanton, and contemplate the different paths their lives have taken, and their destinies. Canon pairings, mostly fluff. First fan fiction ever.


My first fan fiction ever, and even my first piece of fictional writing in probably 8 years...I grew up reading these books and recently re-read them, and this is what came into my head. Takes place after the Final Eclipse. Thank you for reading!

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Jimena Castillo Killingsworth, despite her gift of premonition, could have never predicted the major events in her life that had occured throughout the years. Major milestones, from Miranda's death, El Nueve, la leyenda of Jimena. And the things that had hurt her even more: having and losing Veto, her metamorphosis, even more bittersweet than she could have ever imagined. She let her thoughts stop there, before they drifted deeper, to the sometimes-fuzzy details she struggled to remember, days of the Daughters, her three friends, all pre-metamorphosis. A snore startled her reverie suddenly, although she was rather grateful for it. She turned and glanced at her sleeping husband. "Not all things have been bittersweet," she mused to herself. She wanted to light a candle, but feared the movement would wake Collin, who in his sleep seemed to glow like a gilded angel- her angel.

She sipped her tea, thinking with a pang of longing, of her former mentor, Maggie. Maggie, who had left everything to Jimena, literally and physically. The loving mentor who had guided her from a young age, in her dreams, and while conscious. Even this felt a little fuzzy to her. Jimena was now the new mentor, and soon enough she would have to begin to reach out to the new generations of daughters. She was also a daughter of Pandia, which explained her wisdom, and her ability to remember much more than she knew Vanessa did. She studied her surroundings in her bedroom, as it was just beginning to feel like her own. Maggie's apartment had always been cozy, but it was well loved and cared for. Collin wasn't so much a fan of the whole no-electricity/embrace the dark philosophy that Maggie had. Jimena relented and had allowed a few floor lamps, although she much preferred candles. She had made a conscious effort to embrace the dark more, especially since Serena…

Collin's snore rang out again in the early-morning stillness, once again interrupting Jimena's thoughts. Jimena felt a pang of guilt and knew it was time to take Collin again to see his sister, the Queen of the Night. Nefandus still felt like a dark place, despite Serena's growing presence of light. Jimena supposed the real reason she did not frequent Nefandus was the pain it caused her. The trips to Nefandus, without fail, triggered more and more of her memories to become clear, usually sad ones. Collin's hand caressing her hair pulled her away from her thoughts- as usually happened whenever he so much as looked at her. A lazy smile spread across his sleepy face as he became conscious. "Good morning, mi amor." She laughed at his attempt at Spanish, as usual. "You looked like you were deep in thought?" he ventured, as a lightly worried expression graced his face; although nothing close to the past worried looks she had been used to. She hesitated, before deciding to dive right in. "Do you remember the early days?" Collin winced slightly, knowing exactly what Jimena was referring to. Jimena kept talking. "Even then, in our saddest and most desolate moments, I knew I'd be okay. That WE would be okay." Jimena wasn't one for all that sappy stuff, and Collin knew that. It made her words all the more meaningful. He responded, "Even when I lost my baby sister, my world, your memories- even in those darkest moments, there was hope in them." Jimena smiled, the kind of smile that radiated from her soul and transformed her from the inside out. She knew that in these three years, Collin had internalized the basics of everything Jimena represented, and she loved him more and more when she thought about it. He seemed to be reading her mind, as he cracked a smile of his own before enveloping her into his arms and placing his warm lips on hers. He always tasted like the ocean, no matter where or when it was.

The intimacy hadn't been easy for Jimena at first; it was work for her and Collin, after Veto and the tough facade Jimena had from living la vida loca. Their relationship had only blossomed with time, despite setbacks and challenges they continued to face. Jimena reluctantly pulled her lips away and stared at her husband, seeing inside his eyes the same inner look she saw in Serena's. She ached with the thought, and Collin spoke, "I've been thinking…we should go see Serena." Jimena agreed. Trips to Nefandus were draining, but worth it to see Serena, even though it was hard now. She was the Queen of the Night, bringing light to a world of darkness. Jimena did not like taking Collin with her, but he disliked her going alone as well (well, more than disliked…).

Jimena dressed, in a simple gold tank and a skirt, staring at the beautiful painting on her wall. It was a gift from Serena, a wedding present, sent from Serena in absence of her presence at the wedding. Jimena felt at times as though she was flouting the laws of nature, with Serena's inability to leave Nefandus and Jimena's clandestine visits. As Queen of the Night, Serena ruled alongside her husband Stanton, the King of the Night, together creating harmony in a formerly dark and hopeless place.

Chapter 2

Collin and Jimena set off for the barren street where the portal would appear to them- open now, if one knows how to look for it. Many changes had and were continually occurring in Nefandus, as Serena's power continued to build. The first sound that registered to Jimena on the other side of the portal was laughter of children. Jimena loved children, something she attributed to her mandatory community service at Children's Hospital. Collin had always felt the same way about children, but Jimena was cautious; she wasn't sure how children would fit into this new life, as a mentor, a daughter of Pandia, and everything that went along with that. Serena, on the other hand, dove right in. She had later told Jimena that it felt right, a way to solidify her new life, her life with Stanton, to provide love and stability among the many changes.

The sound of laughter came closer, soon accompanied by blurs of pink. Ancora had latched herself onto Collin as Pylae and Lunae hugged Jimena. She took in the sight before moving. Jimena could remember Ancora being born, and she could even remember Serena's announcement of pregnancy, already five years ago. Ancora meant Anchor in Latin, a representation of her relationship to her parents and her role in this new family. Her eyes were the same shocking blue as her father, and her flaxen hair fell in the same manner. Pylae and Lunae were opposites of one another. They were three now, and twins, with names meaning Hope and The Moon. Pylae had her father's eyes and Serena's hair, with Lunae having the opposite. All three children were breathtakingly beautiful. Jimena's breath caught again as she looked up to see Serena walking towards her. Her beauty had only magnified with her change; she truly looked like a dark Goddess. Stanton followed close behind her, with his blue eyes and blonde hair as radiant as ever. Warm greetings were exchanged, and Jimena smiled, seeing Collin and Serena embrace. She knew how hard the past few years had been for him, from all the knowledge, changes, and new information he constantly had to process. Finally, it was Serena's arms around Jimena. "Querida Serenita." Jimena could feel Serena gently probing her mind, and she knew Serena was taking in all the memories and images of the time since their last visit.

They set off as a group down the cobblestone path, towards the castle that Jimena instinctively shuddered upon seeing. The view brought back her memory of Vanessa being trapped here, Catty learning her true identity, and more. Serena walked next to her, watching her children walk ahead with Stanton and Collin- who even now still could not resist an opportunity to give Stanton a hard time. The darkness was still present and tangible in this land. She felt Serena in her mind before the words floated across her thoughts and Serena grabbed her hand. "Sometimes it may seem dark, but the absence of the light is a necessary part". Serena and Jimena glanced up in silence at the real moon in Nefandus, which was full tonight. As they were looking up, on this night Selene was looking down upon two of her beloved daughters, shining spirits walking hand in hand through the night.


End file.
